Villard Square, Veterans Manor among MANDI winners

Two affordable apartment developments, Villard Square and Veterans Manor, were among the winners of this year's Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation.

The 47-unit Villard Square, an apartment building for senior citizens and their grandchildren, won the State Farm Building Blocks Award for a real estate project that enhances the community. Villard Square, 3427 W. Villard Ave., includes a Milwaukee Public Library branch, and was developed by Gorman & Co. and Northwest Side Community Development Corp.

The 52-unit Veterans Manor was awarded the PNC Bank Trail Blazer award for an innovative approach to a community problem. The building, 3430 W. Wisconsin Ave., was developed by Cardinal Capital Management and the Center for Veterans Issues. The building is for homeless veterans, and includes social services for its residents.

Other winners were:

*Milwaukee Area Workforce Funding Alliance, for The Northern Trust Navigator Award for outstanding collaborative effort joining diverse voices and resources to improve the community. The alliance is a consortium of funders, workforce development agencies, employers and the City of Milwaukee.

*Menomonee Valley Passage, for the Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award for the creation or use of public space contributing significantly to the overall community well-being. The passage is a bike and pedestrian bridge near S. 37th and W. Pierce streets, linking the valley to the Silver City neighborhood.

*Wisconsin Community Services Inc., for the BMO Harris Bank Cornerstone Award for a longstanding commitment of persistence and effectiveness over time. The nonprofit group serves Milwaukee residents with chronic mental illnesses, and alcohol and drug addictions.

*Froedtert Health/Froedtert Hospital, for the Vision Award for outstanding financial investment in Milwaukee’s central city. Froedtert has made comprehensive investments in the Washington Park Neighborhood over the past 10 years, including a partnership with Lisbon Avenue Health Center.

The MANDI Awards are hosted by Local Initiatives Support Corp. Milwaukee with sponsorship from US Bank.

Commercial Real Estate News

The council on Tuesday voted 10-5 to support the project, falling two votes short of the supermajority needed for approval. The zoning change needed 12 votes because a protest petition was signed by enough adjacent property owners, said Ald. Ashanti Hamilton, council president.

The opponents were Ald. Robert Bauman, whose district includes the site, along with aldermen Cavalier Johnson, Mark Borkowski, Jose Perez and Tony Zielinski.